If you are determined that the direction of your travel is going to be upwards there will be no limit to what you can achieve.

This was the message to graduates from Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Stellenbosch University, who was the guest speaker at a graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences.

He encouraged graduates to learn to reach beyond self-interest.

“In the 21^st century we find ourselves in a world which is becoming more and more selfish, polarised, hateful and fearful. If we are to survive we will need to find a way to reconnect with our humanity. What the world desperately needs today is more compassion,” said Volmink.

“I want to challenge you today as health and wellness professionals to find a way to show compassion and demonstrate solidarity towards your patients, clients, colleagues and society in general. Let us work together to overcome the shortcomings that we see around us and in the health system in particular and show leadership as makers of change.”

An emotional Simone Smith was the Dean’s Medal recipient in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences.

Smith, who graduated with a BHSC in Medical Laboratory Sciences obtained distinctions in 17 of her 20 subjects and achieved a final aggregate of 81 percent over the years of her study.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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Two Medical Laboratory Sciences students are looking forward to broadening their horizons and gaining valuable practical skills during a work-integrated learning stint in Norway.
Bright sparks Heibrecht Fielies and Thobekile Leyane, who have never travelled outside South Africa, will be jetting off to Bergen, Norway in August as part of the UTFORSK Partnership Programme. 

The programme supports project cooperation between higher education institutions in Norway and higher education institutions in Brazil, China, India, Japan, Russia and South Africa.
Fielies and Leyane, who are both in their third year, were selected based on their academic record and a motivation that they wrote.

“I look forward to everything Norway has to offer from the work experience to going hiking,” said Fielies.

While Fielies and Leyane are planning their trip six students from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences have just completed their stay at the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

While at CPUT the Norwegian students were divided into two groups and participated in two pilot studies into certain aspects of diabetes, which forms part of a larger study spearheaded by Prof Tandi Matsha, founder and lead researcher of CPUT’s Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit.

“The first’s group’s focus was on looking for different gene variants that causes diabetes in young people,” said co-supervisor Dr Stanton Hector.

“We also recently bought a new genetic analysis machine that tests for imprints on DNA that influence gene expression. The second group did a pilot study to troubleshoot and optimise the machine.”

Matsha said the CPUT students were the second cohort to participate in the programme, which also includes staff exchanges.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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